Appleloosa The West in Bloom [OPEN]

[MudBug]

Since coming to Appleloosa, Bluebelle had settled herself very nicely in Apple Bow Cottage, just at the edge of the town where she'd started her own garden of different types of flowers....granted, the first year had started out very harshly due to the weather and not accounting for the heat or just how arid the Borderlands were. But living sheltered in Canterlot most of your life didn't really prepare you for this sort of thing.

Eventually however, things started to even out and eventually plants started popping up. Not too many, but enough to at least make her little cottage notably greener.

After the winter where, even in this part of Equestria, it had got much colder, she was tending to the little buds and shoots that were just now starting to poke out of their earthy beds and into the warming spring western air. Once the gray-blue molly had set out a tray of rose hip ice tea she'd been saving for her work day on the tiny table she had out on her porch, she set about sorting out her gardening tools for the day. Everypony was most likely busy with the apple harvest and she couldn't blame seeing a few of them pass by looking exhausted. The poor things.

Another reason she'd made so much of your drink too, but that was only if ponies were going to drop by.

Once she had her little hoof wellies on and her gardening trowel, she quickly set about regrooving the rows that her little blossoms would be blooming out of come the height of spring. A watering can sat to the side for after her work, even plants needed a little refreshment too! As the molly worked, her long ears twitched every now and then at the odd clippety-clop of passers by. Not that she was expecting visitors, but she wouldn't be affronted by a visit whilst she worked. Humming softly to herself as she tended to her little garden.

[Zeig]

 

"Yeah yeah, yee-bucking-haw to you too, partner," Inkbrand chuckled to the empty air beside him. The one-sided conversation earned him some strange looks from passing ponies, but the grey stallion ignored them all, instead popping one of two salt cubes into his mouth. Humming lightly in contentment, Inkbrand idly rolled the cube around in his mouth as he trot through the dusty streets, the refrain from an old love long slipping lightly through his lips.

 

Appleloosa wasn't…as bad as he'd been expecting.

 

Oh sure, that western accent was starting to get annoying, even if he did sound hot as when it came from a pretty looking mare. And yes, Princess Celestia up in her ivory tower was doing her absolute best to try and melt the fur off his skin during peak sun hours. And yes, Inkbrand was probably going to pitch a fit the very next time his hooves got tangled up in one of those gigantic tumbleweeds that were, apparently, attracted to him like prickly, over-sized balls of constant scratching.

 

…Still. Appleloosa was…charming.

 

The same way Ponyville was charming, Inkbrand thought as he cast his lazy gaze from side to side, blowing a kiss at a passing mare. But in an entirely different way - in Ponyville, the mare in question would have probably gasped and glared at him for the audacity of a flirt, but here, the mare simply giggled and batted her eyelashes a bit, before carrying on her way. Inkbrand grinned sharply at her backside, watching her flanks as the mare moved away from him, before continuing on his way, a jaunty bounce in his step. Indeed, Appleloosa was an…an apple all of its own, he supposed.

 

Speaking of apples, Inkbrand spared a thought to wonder if the apple harvesting was over yet. That was the real reason he'd come for a visit - not the charming pony folk milling about or the sometimes blistering heat. No, he'd heard how Appleloosa harvesting time was a grand experience, and that the subsequent pies were the best in all Equestria. Plus, the subsequent dust cloud from a hundred stampeding buffalo had seemed to cool of an experience to pass up when Inkbrand had first heard of it. The created dust storm as it disappeared over the horizon sounded, in Inkbrand's mind, a thousand times better than watching a brief pass by the herd on ground level.

 

Now, if only he could commandeer one of these famous pies, then he'd be all set. He was running low on salt.

 

The orchards were probably close by - he was coming up on the edge of town - but a bit of shrubbery that wasn't thorny and brown caught his attention, bringing Inkbrand up short at the sight of the cottage. "How quaint," he murmured to nopony, golden gaze taking in the bits of green and plant life scattered around the premises. Against the dusty brown backdrop of the Borderlands, the cottage seemed almost fluorescent, seemingly over-flowing with nature and plants. And amidst it all was a small, soft blue shape, tending to the small shoots and flowers - and humming.

 

It had very long ears.

 

Attempting to move silently, Inkbrand slowly circled around a bit to the side, until he was leaning against a post from the nearby building. The mule, now confirmed to be a she at this new angle, was a sweet looking thing, with a small blue flower tucked behind one ear. She seemed quite intent on her work, from what the tattoo-clad stallion could tell - and he supposed she'd have to be, given how many plants she'd been able to grow in his hot and arid environment. And not just hardy plants, but even flowers! Weren't flowers insanely delicate and fragile and buck all? Inkbrand could hardly get a bouquet of flowers bought from the store to stay fresh for a fortnight.

 

He'd never interacted with a mule before. Inkbrand couldn't recall ever seeing a mule before, either.

 

"So this is the place," the grey Earth Pony finally spoke up, diminished salt cube pushed to one corner of his mouth to make way for words. "Nice, homey looking. Love what you've done with the place," he elaborated, with a leer meant for her garden that nevertheless fell onto the mule herself. Buck, her tail was weird. Did it even have hair on it, or was it all dual-colored fur? "I'll have to remember to thank Wild West for hooking me up with room and board while I'm visiting."

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora Bloom trotted through the dusty streets of Appleloosa with no real purpose. She looked around mournfully at how devoid of plant life the town was. They had the orchard, which was great and all, but she had yet to see any more greenery. It was certainly different here, much different from Filly.

She had completed her task, delivering some seeds to a customer, so now she was just wandering around. The ponies were friendly, and Flora slowly relaxed to their greetings and such, even calling back her own greeting from time to time. She was now walking with her head held high, not hiding behind her mane at all. Really the only problem she had with this town was it's lack of plant life. The heat got a tad uncomfortable a couple times, but she could handle it.

She walked past the cottage with the stallion and the donkey, only seeing them at first. A couple seconds after she had passed the house, she froze. Had that been... plants? Flora walked backwards until she could see the cottage clearly, then her face broke into a wide grin. A garden!

"Th-that's a great garden you have there." Flora said as she walked closer, stopping at the edge of the garden in case the jenny didn't want her to enter. Then, as if she was just now remembering that the stallion was there, which she kinda was, Flora turned towards him apologetically. "S-sorry, am I i-interrupting s-something?"

[MudBug]

The mule was all too happy to fuss about in her garden, gently tilling the soil around the seedlings and yet-to-blossom buds individually like the precious little blooms they would soon be eventually once the warmth had started to kick in and she had the earth moistened up properly. She wouldn't want her poor flowers drying up after all. Yes she was too content to work away in her garden, but as she heard someone speaking to her, her ears perked slightly and she rose her head to peer at-....What did this pony have on him? Bluebelle had to blink from her position in the dirt as she peered at this peculiar looking gray stallion with an obvious confusion...did his legs have a...cutie mark? No wait, that wasn't a cutie mark, that was silly. She had no idea WHAT that was, but it was scrawled over his leg and confused the mule greatly.

Was he even talking to her? He seemed to be talking more....in her vicinity than actually talking to her, but when he turned his leer onto her she had to arch a brow slowly under her fluffy blue fringe before gently pushing herself up and approaching where he was stood. Clearing her throat before offering the most welcoming smile she could. Obviously this was an out-of-towner and she could relate to the feeling of being new, so she wanted to make sure this....odd stallion....atleast didn't feel intimidated.

"Uhm, hello there! Y'all 're very ka'and t'compliment mah garden." Speaking with a soft smile as that southern-belle twang lilted through the air as she kept an eye on him, inspecting his strange markings quietly, even his cutiemark seemed reminiscent of the markings. They looked an awful lot like something tribal, was he an island pony? Snapping back to look him in the eye, she kept her smile up despite the obvious confusion.

"Y'sound la'ake yer new here, 'r 'tleast visitin', come fer the harvest t'buy some apples? 'm sure Braeburn 'n th' others'll be tickled pink t'hear if y'are."

That reminded her, at some point she'd have to try and find the time to talk with Braeburn again, she'd missed having the odd conversation with him what with being so busy with her garden and it made her feel...well...neglectful. He'd been so kind when she had first arrived and she could only imagine how busy it was for him right now, maybe a visit from a friend would help perk him up? In the middle of her thoughts, Bluebelle blinked at the approaching mare and couldn't help but smile at the appreciative look in her eyes to see a dab of colour amongst all the yellow and terracotta orange that the desert had to offer. At her worrying question, the molly raised a hoof dismissively at her with that same smile.

"Don't y'all worry yer head none, t'weren't interruptin' anythin' t'all!"

[Zeig]

 

Well that had worked out swell.

 

Inkbrand stared unblinkingly at the blue mule, unable to determine if she had simply not understood the implication behind his words or had simply chosen to ignore them, instead choosing to unload a mouthful of thick-western coated neighbor-ness onto his unsuspecting face. If Inkbrand remembered correctly, Appleloosa had only been established very recently - this mule must have been from Dodge City or another western town, to have such a thick accent.

 

What the buck was a braying barn?

 

"'Suppose I am," Inkbrand said slowly, words stretching out as if in contemplation of the question, "though I wouldn't mind plucking a few flowers while I'm here, either." The last was again directed towards the mule, but judging from her earlier performance, Inkbrand doubted she'd get the implication. "I was more looking for the apple pies rather than the apples," he continued conversationally after a moment, still the picture of nonchalance as he continued leaning against the pole. "I hear a buffalo stampede is going to be heading through the orchard. I wanted something to snack on while I watched."

 

And maybe something to drink, Inkbrand amended as he gave the pitcher on the mule's porch a voracious glare. Wicked Rhythm would have a field day if he perished on top of a rocky ridge because he was too bucking stupid to take a glass of water up with him.

 

The tattoo-clad stallion's contemplations on where Wicked Rhythm could shove it were momentarily cut short, however, as Inkbrand caught a pony moving towards them from the corner of his eye. Without moving his body an inch, the grey Earth Pony swiveled his head around in said direction, taking in the sight of a green - like, literally green, from snout to tail - mare shyly moving closer. She seemed almost transfixed by the garden, though she detoured at the last moment to speak up in apology for having butted straight into his conversation with the mule.

Some ponies, man.

 

"What she said, sweetheart," Inkbrand chimed up with a small smile tilting up the corner of his lips, "we were all just getting to know each other better." The grey Earth Pony stared at the mare for a moment longer, before turning his head back around towards the mule, smile widening into more of a lazy smirk. "I'm Inkbrand, best tattoo artist in Equestria," he introduced to the both of them, though he kept his sharp gaze pinned on the mule. "I have to say - a miniature oasis on the edge of town wasn't what I was really expecting to find during this visit."

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora smiled at the mule as she said that Flora hadn't interrupted anything. That was a relief, she didn't want to be rude. She looked over at the fellow earth pony as he spoke next, affirming that she hadn't interrupted anything. Flora blushed and hid slightly behind her mane as the stallion called her sweetheart. He kept his gaze on her a bit longer before turning away from her.

Flora stood where she was, watching the stallion through her mane as he introduced himself. Best in Equestria? Inkbrand wasn't lacking in confidence, that was sure. Confidence was good, it's when it turned into arrogance that a problem arose. Then he commented on his surprise to find this oasis on the edge of town. Flora was pleasantly surprised by it's presence as well.

"I'm Flora Bloom." She said, coming out from behind her mane as she introduced herself to both of them. "It's wonderful t-to see a g-garden in an a-area like this one." She added, smiling to the mule.

[MudBug]

Anything the stallion was implying or trying to imply flew straight over the mule's head, after all she'd just met this stallion and had no idea of any of his intentions besides the fact of that he was rather confident and....the best....tattooist? Bluebelle had to blink in confusion, what was a tattooist? What was a tattoo for that matter? Was it those funny markings he had on his leg? It boggled the molly to the end before she focused again on Flora with another smile, despite having noted Inkbrand's hungry gaze at the pitcher of iced tea she'd left out. That'd be a way to break the ice!

Raising a hoof to excuse herself she trotted back over to the tiny table and poured out two long glasses of the dark pink drink, the ice jostling in the pitcher against the glass with a gently 'clink' as they connected before she took the tray in her mouth and headed back to where her two roaming guests had settled themselves whilst looking at her garden. The compliments just flushed her cheeks pink. Yes, she was very proud of how her garden was coming along, Appleloosa was already the jewel of the desert so she felt she was contributing to an already wonderful thing by leaving her own little mark.

As she settled the tray gently on the flattened top of one of her fence post, she smiled to the pair of them.

"Now help y'selves, don' wan't y'all dyin' a thirst 'round here."

Watching the pair of ponies, she turned her attention to Flora Bloom and gave a soft chuckle.

"Ah'll tell ya, sugarplum, t'was some hard work too, Ah admire them apple folks managin' t'keep them apple trees so lush'n va'brant out in th' desert." The molly then gestured a hoof back to her own garden. "But as y'can see, hard work definitely pays off."

Glancing at the pair of them her ears suddenly perked, how could she have forgotten to introduce herself? Suddenly a feeling of social stigma rode up her spine and she waved a hoof in lady-like embarrassment. One of the many things she picked up from her mother.

"Lan'sakes Ah'd forget mah own head if t'weren't screwed awn, where are mah manners?" The mule offered a small curtsey to the pair of newcomers. "Mah name's Bluebelle, welcome t'Appleloosa."

Thank goodness she hadn't used Braeburn's method of welcoming, cheerful and energetic as it was, she still remembered the startle it gave her when she first came to town.

[Zeig]

 

Inkbrand had a momentarily insane urge to say something stupid, such as "I do declare," or "Sweet jumping hog wires!"

 

Luckily, the grey stallion was able to tap down on said inane urges, instead moving forward to lean against the mule's fencing rather than the pole, swiping up one of the glasses and downing about half of the drink in one humongous gulp. Even more satisfying that the drink wasn't apple-based - really, he got it, the town was called Appleloosa for crying out loud, but did nearly everything have to include apples? - but instead, some sort of flower that he couldn't recognize off the hoof. Inkbrand let his lips smack together with a loud and satisfied "Aaah," as he paused to take a breath, enjoying the refreshing taste.

 

"I have to say," Inkbrand stated after a moment, casting a sultry grin down at the blue mule, "your 'flowers' are pos-i-tiv-ly delicious." Bluebelle, wasn't that a type of flower as well? Something small and springy-like - maybe it was even that small sprig of flowers the mule was wearing behind one ear. Inkbrand had never been in the business of flora and identifying them, so he couldn't be entirely sure. All he was really concerned about, when it came to flowers, was how they tasted between two slices of bread, or as toppings on a salad.

 

'Wonder if I could get some bluebell toppings to go.'

 

Before his imagination could run too far astray, the mule started talking again, causing Inkbrand to smile toothily even as he inwardly rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't been welcomed to Appleloosa by every single passing pony! Still, Inkbrand was starting to get the feel of the desert town being even more neighborly and friendly than Ponyville, as astonishing as that might have been to some. Definitely more friendly than those upstart snobs in Canterlot. It was something the tattoo-clad stallion thought he might be able to get used to very quickly, even if the heat wasn't.

 

"I would feel more welcomed if I had a place to spend the night," Inkbrand commented nonchalantly as he took a few more sips of his flowery drink, leaning over to give Flora Bloom a light nudge with one elbow. "Eh? Dunno about you sweetheart, but I wasn't able to get a reservation at the local inn. They must be full up with the harvesting…thing, going on," the grey Earth Pony lamented, morosely swirling the liquid around in his glass. A sharp glance upwards at Bluebelle, before he returned to sadly downing another large portion of his drink in a long gulp. "'Suppose I'll just have to sleep at the train station tonight, after the stampede."

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora watched as the mule poured out some drinks for the two ponies. Well, since she was offering. Flora took one of the glasses with a smile at the mule, then Inkbrand took the other glass, and really started into it. It looked like he had chugged about half the glass. While that was impressive that he drank that much so fast, Flora kept her mouth shut about it. She took a gulp of her drink, then looked down at it after taking it away from her mouth. Rose hip? That was nice.

Then came the mule talking to her, causing her to look up. She smiled when the mule called her sugarplum, then nodded in agreement that hard work payed off when it came to growing plants. The mule eventually introduced herself as Bluebell, and welcomed both of them to town. Flora smiled again at Bluebell.

"Th-thank you. It's v-very nice to m-meet you." She said. She was kind of getting used to being welcomed to town around here. These ponies were very friendly, maybe the most friendly town she'd been to yet.

She looked over at Inkbrand as he nudged her, calling her sweetheart again and making her blush and look away. Stuff like that coming from Bluebell felt like a friendly term, but from Inkbrand, it felt like there was something... more behind it. Focusing back on his words, she frowned. It was true she couldn't get a room, but she didn't mind. She was used to sleeping outside from her travels with her dad. What really made her frown was what Inkbrand was saying. It sounded like he was trying to take advantage of Bluebell's hospitality. He shouldn't do that, but then again he probably shouldn't sleep in a train station either. Flora took another sip of her tea as she contemplated what to do.

"You don't have t-to take him in, he c-could sleep with m-me." Flora said, giving Bluebell a way out of a moral obligation to house Inkbrand for the night, if she chose to take it. "I w-was going t-to sleep under the st-stars." She added before taking another drink of her tea. It was good, good thing she had only finished about half of it at this point.

[MudBug]

Very few things gave Bluebelle any 'warning signals', but the more Inkbrand spoke the more she got a hold of those implications of his and the more the sirens in the back of her mind began to warble like some distant bird. Thought she was momentarily taken offguard by the fact that both him and Flora seemed to like her drink, which tickled her pink, she enjoyed when her little flower based concoctions worked. Making people happy in general was something she enjoyed the most. When Inkbrand complimented her flowers in that odd tone of voice, the mule just gave a small, but still hospitable smile towards the gray earth stallion.

"Why thank you, s'been hard work t'get them tastin' just ra'aght." Looking over her garden for a moment, she couldn't help but let her smile grow substantially. "Ah think this year's gonna be jus' as tasty too!"

When she looked back, somehow she could catch the overdramatic lamenting, it hadn't been the first time she'd seen anyone be overdramatic over something this small, then again nothing set off her warning signals quite as much as this did. However when it came to exposing what he was getting at, Bluebelle just had to blink in confusion. Somewhere to stay? It was true that Appleloosa was...more than a little crowded with the harvest and such but surely staying in some random pony's house wasn't what a visitor wanted? Or maybe she was the one being nervous...

Furrowing her brow, she was about to answer, when Flora answered for her and gave a slightly thankful stare to the mare.

"That's very kind of ya, miss Bloom...an' the stars over Appleloosa are th' clearest things y'could hope to see, Canterlot's diamonds have nothin' on them."

[Zeig]

 

…Well. That was a little bucking rude.

 

Inkbrand pinned his golden stare on Flora Blooms, gaze neither friendly nor outwardly hostile. Yeah, he hadn't really been expecting the mule to allow a complete strange to spend the night in her home - nopony could be that bucking naive, could they? - but he hadn't been expecting another stranger to show up and essentially tell the mule not to do so. Especially if Bluebelle would have been amiable to the prospect. That was like listening in between a salespony and a customer, and then telling the customer not to buy the merchandise because they didn't have to.

 

More or less.

 

But seriously, what the buck.

 

The grey stallion took a small sip of his drink, sharp eyes not leaving Flora even as Bluebelle spoke up again. Didn't the desert, like, drop to freezing temperatures at nighttime? And both Flora and Bluebelle thought it was a good idea to spend the night outside under the stars? And to add onto that, Flora didn't want him staying over with Bluebelle but had absolutely no qualms inviting him to stay the night with her, all alone somewhere. If that wasn't bucking hypocritical, Inkbrand din't know what was. He was sure the floral mare was probably thinking along the lines of some sacrificial, martyr bull rot. Oh, better me have to deal with him than her. Something like.

 

Or she simply had the hots for him and wasn't willing to admit it.

 

Either way, she had just offered him a one-way ticket to her side during the night, and Inkbrand had never been the type to pass on an opportunity, even if this one was sounding far less exciting than the previous one.

 

"Why, that's so kind of you," the grey stallion commented simply with his gaze still fixed firmly on Flora Bloom, lips curled upwards in a sharp smirk. The normally talkative pony refrained from saying more as he took another small sip of his drink, waiting to see if the green mare had the guts to finish what she started.

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora gave a friendly smile in return for Bluebell's thankful look. She then nodded in agreement with what Bluebell said about the stars being better than diamonds. She preferred natural beauty over pony-made jewelry. Diamonds were natural, she supposed, but she still preferred other sources of beauty, like plants.

She glanced over at Inkbrand to try and gauge how he felt about her suggestion, then froze as she saw him staring at her. Well, that answered that. He didn't seem to happy at the prospect. He made her feel uncomfortable, but then again all strangers did that for a time. She didn't really like how she was being rude to him, but he kind of deserved it when he had tried to take advantage of Bluebell.

"Oh, umm... It's n-no trouble, r-really." Flora said after Inkbrand spoke. She was a little worried about where the night would go with him around, but she could endure. Sometimes being kind meant a bit of self-sacrifice. Not that she expected Inkbrand to be bad company, she had sacrificed her quiet, solitary night under the stars. Either way, she had just started down this path, no sense in jumping ship now.

[MudBug]

Bluebelle watched the pair of them quietly as she poured out her own glass and started to sip at her drink, the refreshing coolness hitting her throat like rain on a desert with how refreshing it was, especially in this heat! She noticed the stallion's terse expression and raised a brow, perhaps that had been a little rude....very unbecoming of an Appleloosian lady and she thought she'd make it right. Or atleast cool the air between the two, he looked about ready to bite the poor mare's head. Hmmm....Oh! A topic change, that would work!

"So!" She started as she settled her glass down. "Where do y'two hail from, hmm?"

She was genuinely curious about that, if they were from somewhere like Ponyville, she could see if either of them knew her beloved cousin or how he'd been the past few seasons. It'd have been nice to hear how he'd been....but in general it'd have been nice to hear where either of these two came from just to hear an update on places outside of her home.

[Pretzelparty]

Presteza,Traveling Artist

Ah, Appleooosa. A truly wonderful Frontier town if there ever was one! Hard working a mare's and stallions that made their live growing food in these harsh climates, living and learning from eachother and living of the sweat of their own brow. The friendly faces of many ponies and cheerful attitude were one of many things that drew the young painter to this rough and tumble part of Equestria, another thing that drew her hear was the charm of the locals, one of the most prominent reasons for her occasional visits here was that unlike many other places in Equestria this was one of the only places she barely had to worry about any magical mishaps cause by a high pollen count; thanks to the unique climate and enviroment's traits.

Presteza took a long, deep breath and filled her lungs with the region's slightly dry tasting air. The smell of pies being baked and other delicious smelling food wafting from the windows of quite a few houses filling her nostrils before she exhaled and smiled warmly as she looked out the window of her room at the inn she'd chosen to make her home for the time being. After goig through her usual morning ritual she decided she'd talk a walk through the town and enjoy the sights of the place, maybe she'd run into that nice braeburn fellow again, or even Sheriff Silverstar, or maybe even one of her favorite authors Lousie Lamare!

Once she walked out the door and told the kindly innkeeper she'd be back later tonight she began to walk, casually greeting everypony who passed her by in her usual chipper tone.

"G'mornin'!"

"Mornin'!"

Eventually her walk took her to a cozy looking cottage on the edge of town. What luck, there were actually three individuals outside of it already and they all looked pretty lively!

"Gooooooood Morni--" the mare froze up a moment as she realized the group she was giving her third 'good morning' too had a very familiar face in it; that of InkBrand... a stallion she shared an interesting history with,"Oh, 'ey there. Inky! Nice ta see ya again!" Beside the tattooed stallion was a slightly shy looking mare and ... oh my. The mare's eyes widened a bit as she laid eyes on Bluebelle, accompanied by a drop of her jaw for a second, "You're a..." the mare struggled to find the perfect word(s) to convey her feelings before she settled on one,"AMAZING! Those long ears! the lovely coat, mane, and tail! OH, and the flower in your hair is an awesome touch! Say um.... would it be okay if I painted ya sometime? you'd be an awesome model fer me!" The mare was positively brimming with excitement at this chance to meet and paint someone she had never seen before.

Blinking a couple times she laughed awkwardly and raised a hoof to her mouth then cleared her throat,"Um... Sorry about that um..." the mare's eyes drifted to a nearby mailbox with the name Bluebelle written on it,"...Bluebelle! I kinda get excited when I meet someone new that seems... cool and unique." with an awkward laugh and an adjustment of her hat she extended her hoof to the friendly looking mule, "I'm Presteza, A travelin' artist from Trottingham. It's nice ta meet all o' ya!"

[Zeig]

 

Oh-ho. So the little mare wasn't all talk and no delivery.

 

Inkbrand stored the little tidbit away in the back of his mind as he continued to stare down Flora with a predatory grin, pleased to see that he seemed to be making her uncomfortable and uncertain. He still wasn't going to bucking believe any of that self-sacrificing nonsense, even if the green mare would claim it as such - he was still banking on either a physical attraction, or a want to be seen as selfless and noble, instead of an actual want to be those things. Inkbrand had run into the type before, the ones that did good deeds simply for the sake of doing them rather a genuine want to help out the specific pony or creature.

 

Well. Whichever one it was, Flora was inviting him to spend the night with her. What bucking stallion would decline?

 

"Manehatten," the tattoo-clad stallion said slowly, finally turning his sharp gaze away from Flora to rest it on the mule. All traces of contemplation and manipulations had fled his features, leaving behind only a casual, carefree grin as Inkbrand finished off the rest of his drink. "Like I said," he continued after he resurfaced for air with a satisfied exhaling of breath, "I came for the harvest, to see the buffalo run." Inkbrand balanced his cup on top of the fence, before leaning hid body back onto the structure, elbows crossed in front of him. "I love my hometown, but sometimes a pony just need a breath of fresh air, 'ya know?"

 

'And a little less of Celestia, buck me.' Inkbrand wondered idly if he could make a grab for Flora's glass, but before he could seriously contemplate it, a somewhat familiar voice broke caught on the wind, causing first his ears then his head to swivel in its direction.

 

"Oh? Spreading your wings even out here in the desert, huh?" the grey stallion lazily commented, not really asking a question so much as making a statement. He didn't even bother addressing the mare's nickname for him, though his left eyes gave a small twitch in irritation. Maybe because he associated it with purposefully condescending ponies who tried 'putting him in his place' - a certain brown stallion immediately jumped to mind. Only August used that nickname with any real affection. In all honesty, it worked out well - the more somepony used it, the easier it was to dislike them, giving Inkbrand no qualms to mentally dissociate away from them.

 

He was bucking smart as.

 

Before Inkbrand could do any much more than flick a tail in greeting however, Presteza was off on a tangent, seemingly professing her love for the blue mule in front of them. The tattoo-clad stallion couldn't help the startled raise of his eyebrows as he watched and listened, rather amused at the sudden outpouring of expression the cream colored unicorn was showing. She almost sounded one of those high-fashioned photographers who got all emotional and animated when they spotted "That One" perfect model for their business, or something.

 

…Buck. That sounded a lot more familiar than he'd meant.

 

Seeing how Presteza was throughly enraptured by Bluebelle, Inkbrand chose to shimmy down the fence line a bit, stopping right next to Flora. "Can't say a mare ever's been that excited to meet me," he chuckled lowly, leaning over and closer to the green mare even though he wasn't really trying to hide his comment. "You'll be as receptive when we're at your sleeping spot, won't you?"

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora was practically squirming under Inkbrand's gaze. She wasn't sure why he made her feel so uncomfortable when he looked at her like that. Sure, she was shy, and really preferred to not be in the spotlight, but it had never been this bad coming from a single pony. Usually when around only one or two ponies, or other races like Bluebell, she was fine with one or both of them looking at her after she grew accustomed to them. But Inkbrand, he made her feel very uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Bluebell was trying to help out by changing the subject and asking where they were from. Inkbrand finally looked away, and Flora breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he answered. Manehatten? That's nice, or at least it sounds nice. She couldn't remember ever actually going there herself.

"I'm f-from Fillydelphia. J-just came t-to make a d-delivery, then decided to stay the night too." Flora said just before another mare greeted the group from behind her. She made a surprised squeak and turned to see the unicorn mare who apparently already knew Inkbrand. The mare seemed intrigued by Bluebell, as she went on a bit of a tangent about the mule. Flora smiled slightly at her enthusiasm, but the smile soon disappeared as Inkbrand scooted over to her and spoke to her. It wasn't the fact that he was speaking, it was what he said. Flora's mouth opened and closed as she processed what the stallion had said. He wanted her to be just as receptive later? As receptive as what? For that matter, receptive of what?

"Oh, umm... I-I can t-try." Flora responded to him after Presteza had introduced herself. "I'm Flora Bloom. N-nice to meet you t-too." She said to the unicorn, forcing a smile despite Inkbrand's uncomfortable proximity.

[MudBug]

Manehattan and Fillydelphia....well...it wasn't Ponyville, or anywhere where she'd come from, but she was still happy to hear from places like that and continued to offer her smile as she listened on to why they'd come and she couldn't blame them, getting away from home was sometimes the best thing for a pair of aching hooves that longed to wander when things got too stale or when little chicks needed to fly the coop. It's something she lived by.

She was about to ask how those cities were going, how everything at home was before...

Her ears perked at the sudden words from the passer by who'd decided to come up, seeing the eager surprise on the mare's face Bluebelle couldn't help but feel the blush burn into her cheeks as she heard all the things she was saying about her and then asking if she could PAINT her??? It was enough to make the blue pelted molly practically turn pink as she watched this mare with a confused smile. This certainly wasn't something she was used to!

As she introduced herself, she raised a hoof and chuckled good naturedly behind it before offering a polite nod of her head.

"Nice t'meet y'all, miss Presteza!" Her eyes cast over the others, the smile still on her face. "Appleloosa's jus' burstin' with visitors 't seems!"

[Pretzelparty]

"Oh? Spreading your wings even out here in the desert, huh?"

The freckled painter nodded to the grey stallion who seemed oddly determined not to look her direction,"No doubt! I love this town, it's so lively and one o' my favorite authors lives here!" The mare chuckled a bit as she noticed Inkbrand up to his usual flirtatious shtick. Hoping to maybe keep him from making the mare he was speaking to too uncomfortable she decided that maybe she should try and talk to him a bit more, "So, Wot about you, Inkbrand? Gonna offer some ponies here the chance ta wear some o' yer artwork?"

"Nice t'meet y'all, miss Presteza! Appleloosa's jus' burstin' with visitors 't seems!"

"I'm Flora Bloom. N-nice to meet you t-too."

The mare smiled happily at the kindly molly and mare, the mare in question seemed to have a flower based cutie mark. Bluebelle also seemed to have a very impressive garden and thankfully it wasnt fully in bloom so chances of "mishaps" for the young painter were at a minimal. "By the way, Bluebelle. Yer garden is really nice! I'm surprised ya don't get more visitors ta be honest!" The mare calmly canter back and forth in front of the fence as she looked over the gardens many bulbs and greenery.

[Zeig]

 

"Hmm?" Inkbrand hummed noncommittally, a lilt of a laugh coloring the sound that was almost directly in Flora Bloom's ear. He chuckled low in his throat, but left her off at that, scooting back a bit to give the mare her space back. No fun to ruin her so quickly, especially seeing how she was turning out to be the boring sort that did nothing but blush and stammer and blush some more.

 

Presteza's voice soon had his attention drifting lazily back onto the mare, who seemed to have snapped out of her painter lust long enough to strike up a semblance of a conversation. Idly, Inkbrand realized this was probably the first time the unicorn had initiated am actual conversation with him outside of a "hello Inkbrand." How did it seem like she was always on the edge of his peripherals, in the most oddest of places? If Inkbrand had been any more of a philosophical pony, he might have tried to contemplate what significance, if any, the unicorn's sudden interest held.

 

As it was, the grey stallion was far more interested in the fact that he was surrounded by three very, pretty, mares. Minus one, plus one very, pretty, mule.

 

"Wouldn't you know it Presteza, not every pony recognizes the chance to be graced with my many gifts," the grey stallion answered, inspecting one hoof with a passable forlorn expression. "Though if you'd like to jump on that chance, you know my door's always open," he added, with a sly sidelong glance back towards the mare. It half-amused, half-baffled him, this amiable front the cream colored mare seemed to always display towards him, considering how they had met. She still owed him an apology for the undeserved tongue-lashing she'd bestowed on him, one that Inkbrand was starting to understand that he wasn't going to get.

 

A shame, that. She'd have looked real nice with something wispy and pale blue curling up her back, around the shoulders and maybe even whispering upwards to kiss at her cheek.

 

"But no, I'm not here on business," the grey stallion continued onward, mentally waving the image away like a puff of smoke in the air as he explained, for the third bucking time, why he was in Appleloosa. "Buffalo run, sights, apple pie, sunset - the end." Condensed version, then. Inkbrand waved a hoof grandly through the air, gesturing vaguely into the town as if that might explain his plans in more detail, before abruptly turning his head back around towards the green mare to his side, toothy smile back on his face.

 

"And Miss Bloom here was even kind enough to let me stay the night at her…place," Inkbrand commented, with only the slightest pause before he recovered. The grey stallion thought about grabbing the mare into a bear hug - something about those large doe eyes of Flora's brought out rather inane urges in Inkbrand, like ruffling up her mane or dumping dirt in her hair - but eventually decided against it, settling on flashing a grin so outrageously flirtatious he wouldn't be surprised if she burst like an overripe tomato. "Pretty set for a fun evening tonight, don'tcha think?"

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora was trying to stay as still as she could with Inkbrand so close to her. He was way too close, his low laughter coming right in her ear. It was proving difficult not to react too much to him. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as he backed away from her. How would she handle being with him all night? She pushed that out of her head, thinking she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Inkbrand definitely knew Presteza from somewhere. Oh well, hopefully that would take some attention off of her, she didn't enjoy being in the spotlight. Especially not Inkbrand's, as she had just discovered. After Inkbrand had finished talking about what he was doing in Appleloosa, Flora felt his eyes on her again. She looked over at him, then shrank back slightly as she saw his grin. She forced herself to return the smile, but her's was shaky and obviously didn't come easily.

"Umm... Y-yeah, h-he needed a place t-to sleep, so I offered him one." Flora said, after Inkbrand had spoken about her letting him sleep with her. Then came his next grin, which made Flora blush profusely and made her smile drop off her face. After about a second or two, she averted her gaze from him and pointedly looked at Bluebell's garden. It'll just be for one night, she could handle that. At least, she hoped she could.

[Zeig]

 

Inkbrand continued to grin toothily at the green mare, sidling just a smidgen down the fence line in her direction. "She sure did," he extrapolated, while mentally debating whether throwing a hoof around the mare would have her screaming faster than he could escape, "'cause, 'ya know. She's all thoughtful like that."

 

And speaking of being thoughtful, should they get this show on the road, then?

 

The sun was starting to dip lower onto the horizon, and the buffalo run usually came around before sunset - or so Inkbrand had heard. He needed to find himself an apple pie, and fast! The grey stallion turned his gaze briefly onto Bluebell, contemplative, before he eventually decided against asking her where he might get his hooves on one. That was half the fun, wasn't it?…though, that didn't mean he couldn't have some more fun with a certain green mare.

 

"Whelp, thanks for the drink, sweetheart," the tattoo-clad stallion piped up, swinging his muzzle back towards the mule to throw her a quick grin and a wink, "hit all the right spots. But I'm thinking Miss Bloom and I need to get going, or we're going to miss the buffalo run." …Had she said she would accompany him for his sunset stakeout over the orchard? Inkbrand couldn't really remember if she had, or if she'd simply offered him a place for the night…but even with the latter, she had to stick with him to eventually show off her place of residence in the evening time. Which meant the little green mare had to watch the buffalo run and cram her face with apple pie alongside him, right?

…Right, that made sense.

 

"C'mon, we need to find an apple pie, stat!" the grey Earth Pony exclaimed, as if finding said apple pie was a matter of life and death, and reached out to snag the green mare under one foreleg and begin leading her down the dusty roads, his other hoof raising in a parody of farewell towards Bluebell and Presteza. He'd shelled out the bits to grab a train ride here and watch the buffalo herd run, and he was going to get a pie and watch the buffalo run, buck it. "So, where to?" he questioned, removing his foreleg to turn a quizzical gaze onto the green mare, as if she had been the one to plan this apple pie outing herself. "For a town that prides itself on its apples, I've had a Celestia-baked time finding a single pie for sale, 'ya know?"

 

[[ Exit ]]

 

[PyroBlaze]

Flora kinda just stayed quiet after Inkbrand spoke again. She wasn't really sure what to say, not that she really wanted to talk at the moment. She would respond to anything directed at her, of course, but she really didn't want to start anything. She noticed that Inkbrand had gotten a bit closer, but she didn't move. Flora looked up as Inkbrand said it was time for the two of them to go, that if they didn't they'd be liable to miss the buffalo run. She hadn't been planning on watching it, but it sounded kinda interesting.

Before she could debate any further, she was suddenly grabbed under a foreleg and led down the streets by Inkbrand. She blushed and gave a quiet little squeak as she was forced along. Eventually, the stallion released her foreleg and asked her where they were going. Apparently he wanted some apple pie, but as of yet hadn't found any.

"Umm... I... I d-don't know... M-maybe there's a b-bakery in town?" Flora said quietly, using her mane as a buffer between their two gazes.